A former Pitt Meadows city councillor convicted of sexual assault was sentenced to nine months in jail and three years of probation on Wednesday at Port Coquitlam Provincial Court.
David Murray pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference in an incident that took place 26 years ago involving a 14-year-old girl.
WATCH: David Murray charged with sexual assault
He was charged in Nov., 2016 and was found guilty in October last year.
Court heard that Murray violated a “quasi-position of trust.” Court also heard how defence used a private investigator to befriend Murray’s victim to gain her trust and record their conversations, conversations which will be destroyed.
In an impact statement, the victim, whose name is under a publication ban, told court that Murray’s actions had changed her forever, making her unsure of her body and ashamed to be a girl.
Crown was seeking nine to 12 months in custodial sentence.
Murray was first elected to Pitt Meadows council in 2011. He remained at his post as a city councillor for several days after the conviction, amid massive public pressure to step down, which included a petition signed by thousands of Pitt Meadows residents and calls for his removal by two other councillors.